Doing More than Preaching Electrical Conservation

Last week I attended the Govenor’ Energy Summit, A Roundtable on Maryland’s Energy Future. I could go into detail about the experience but will postpone that and here is an informative link.  However, at one point the audience was asked for ideas to encourage electrical energy conservation, not via intervention techniques such as BG&E’s Peak Rewards, but through other forms of encouragement and education. Time prevented most ideas from being presented to the group of several hundred attendees, but other forms of communicating such ideas were encouraged. 

Here is one.

I would suggest expanding the Time-of-Using billing practices by emulating some of advantages of the Peak Rewards programs.  The Peaks Rewards program has made conservation progress but because the conservation is ‘automatic’ in nature, it has not placed the responsibility for that conservation upon the user. A bridge between this ‘it is all done for you’ approach to 'it is a consumer responsibility' is needed. (Not that both cannot exist together.)  By implementing practices similar to the following, the consumers’ appreciation of the value and complexities of conservation will hopefully be developed.  They will learn through rewards, in a manner similar to the Peak Rewards program.  Perhaps most importantly they will develop mindsets that will more readily appreciate, and accept the implementation of  Smart Meters when they arrive in the not so distant future. They will then have a basic understanding of what those meters may achieve, having already tried to do similar conservation with less sophisticated techniques.

Therefore, I suggest:

1.     In keeping with the zero customer costs associated with Peak Rewards program, remove the monthly costs for the Time-of-Use electrical meters.  It makes no sense to bill for one device and not the others, i.e. air conditioner controllers, especially when the installation labor for the meters is a fraction of that for the air conditioning controllers. 

2.     Encourage participation in the Time-of-Use program by using the Peak Rewards practice of providing a first year ‘incentive.’  Here, one could simply provide a similar credit over a year or change the Time-of-Use billing structure for a period of time, perhaps a year.

3.     Provide some plan flexibility which may address the needs of consumers who have differing schedules, i.e. offer different “plans” as is being done with the Peaks Rewards.  Here it might be possible to swap the “off peak” weekend hours for some other period or rates. Other schedules and rates might also be considered if the technology can support it on an individualized basis.

4.     Find ways to integrate the WWW into this program.  Smart meters will depend upon Internet communications. So, begin that transition now.  If nothing else, on an easily accessible site, graphically depict the customer’s historic information and aspects of the bigger picture, perhaps system demands, local substation demands, composite peak shedding results, and generation by type, i.e. coal, gas, oil, nuclear, renewable, etc.  Show these last items in real time!  Make the customers part of this bigger picture so that they can gain some understanding of the scope of the systems and their parts in them.  Make it interesting and educational.

5.     Lastly, establish some competitive activities with rewards, perhaps dealing with decreasing consumption during certain months or billing periods.  There might be a host of different approaches to this goal. Celebrate success!  Give rewards, not only as credit but in person.  Acknowledge those who achieve established goals (whatever they are) and they will, in turn, educate others.  Get students at various ages involved.  They can learn to read a meter (I know as I have taught them) and inventory their homes or apartments.  As they say, "BRING IT HOME!"  

Now, let's see what happens.

1985

Tar Pits? - Scholastic Remediation at the Community College

When considering Ms. Mossburg’s comments, Maryland’s uneducated graduates, in yesterday’s (5/11/11) The Baltimore Sun, one can only imagine what Mr. Millar (Cooling out poor minority kids in community college, 5/9/11) might desire of the community colleges, in supporting their incoming students, one-half of which are in need of remedial courses. Rather than persuading, as he and his resource, Professor Burton Clark suggests, “the majority of their entering students to give up their “unrealistic” baccalaureate aspirations and settle for some lesser fate: certificate, associate’s degree, or dropout” (bold added), community colleges support the intellectual and personal growth of these underprepared students through these redial courses. His view that the baccalaureate degree is the ultimate and initially desired goal for all ignores the various paths, steps, and number of years that may be involved in reaching that degree, if desired. Many of these paths involve the credentials offered by the community college. As for this remedial support being a “tar pit” role for the community college, one can only wonder about the term he cites and uses. 

Recognizing that, as Ms. Mossburg notes, student failure to succeed academically already costs Maryland taxpayers effectively $90 million a year in ineffective (wasted?) public education, would Mr. Millar rather that this remedial role be played entirely by the four-year, baccalaureate granting institutions at several times the tuition costs?  Such ill advised costs already overwhelm far too many students, their families, the institutions and potentially the taxpayers. This is especially true at for-profit institutions, which like community colleges, have many career oriented programs but certainly have less remedial support. One can only wonder if the remedial students attending four-year institutions are any more successful in achieving the baccalaureate goal than those who begin their journey toward that degree at the community college.

Mr. Millar should recognize that remedial support is one of the most important roles of the community college, where retaining students is a major, desired outcome. And, it is to that “exact outcome” that “Every program, every service, every academic policy”, is designed. Not, as suggested by Mr. Millar, to produce ‘“intelligent followers”, docile technicians, resigned to their economic fate and not dreaming of being well educated, politically active, powerful citizens.' Nor is that goal to “divert students, especially poor and minority students seeking the essential U.S. credential of baccalaureate degrees, away from the ever-more-selective four-year colleges.” The term “ever-more-selective” indicates just how valuable the community colleges are, with their ‘open door’ policies,  in supporting the populations described above.

It is that constantly evolving, supporting and often remedial role, that attempts to encourage, not discourage, students to continue their studies.  Such strives to provide appropriate support and instruction, one step at a time, through scholastic remediation, the certificate, the AA or AAS degree, and potentially the transfer to four-year institutions and the baccalaureate degree, and above, as desired.  This is why transfer and articulation programs exist between community and four-year colleges!

If the community college is not achieving the goals fast enough or with overwhelming success, one must consider the statistics noted by Ms. Mossburg.  The wave of underperforming high school graduates keeps getting larger and larger.  Something must change.  With that in mind, one might want to look the remediation rates based upon ethnicity, as presented by Ms. Mossburg. Noting that the average for All Groups is 61.1% and that White remediation is 56.3% and African-American is 74.6%, she also reports that Asian remediation is about half of the average, i.e. 31.9%.  One must ask the obvious, “What does this mean? Why the difference? Is there a model there that can be drawn upon to improve other groups?” 

1955

Officer Rivieri on YouTube and loss of job and pension.

Dear Editor, (The Sun)

While I do not know Officer Rivieri, I have to agree with your Dan Rodricks (Dixon and the cop: a troubling double standard, Sept 2, 2010) that the punishment does not seem to fit the crime. A loss of career and pension resulting from an over the top attempt at scaring a young man straight is excessive especially given the example of the ex-mayor. Perhaps the colloquial use of the word “dude,” pushed the wrong button, but the young man involve certainly appeared disrespectful.

One point that I feel is missing in this discussion appeared in Saturday’s paper in its update concerning the Harford County policeman, Officer Uhler and the pending wire-tapping case of Mr. Anthony Graber (Judge to rule on videotaping charge, Sept 4, 2010.) Like Officer Uhler, I doubt that Officer Rivieri consented to having his voice recorded for that now famous YouTube video. I wonder why the city prosecutors did not press charges against the individual who made the recording as was done in Harford County by State’s Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly. Could it be that they do not feel a Baltimore City officer’s right to privacy is as important as it might be in Harford County? Or, is it that the captured sequence is an example of the very reason why a citizen should be able to fully record such exchanges? (The words “fully record” are important to both sides of any such issue.) I don’t know why charges were not pursued, but this and the above dismissal should cause other Baltimore City officers some sleepless nights.

Given the situation, I hope that Officer Rivieri’s case is reconsidered and that at a minimum he is given his pension which he obviously earned prior to the incident. (Perhaps he has some sort of civil action available to him with respect to the unauthorized recording.)

Edward Crook,

Timonium,

410-560-1855

Review of "unfounded" 911 calls for rape hits snag - The Sun - Aug 4, 2010

The above article starts with: "Detectives have begun reviewing rape reports summarily dismissed by Baltimore police over the past 18 months, though efforts to discern why incident reports were not taken in hundreds of 911 calls to police have sputtered.
Because 911 calls are typically stored for no longer than 90 days, officials are struggling to find other possible documentation.

"There's not much to review," said Elizabeth Embry of the mayor's office on criminal justice."

My observation (Blogged to The Sun):

I can't believe that 911 call recordings are not archived for more than 90 days. Calls to my broker are saved forever it would seem. What kind of logic is this? Most crime reports begin with 911 calls!

Medical Marijuana

Dear Editor,

I must be missing something with respect to the “medical marijuana” issue and the problem of locating dispensaries. It seems that we already have a network of highly control facilities whose main function is to dispense legally controlled, medically related, substances. We call those call those substances “pharmaceuticals” and we call those locations “Pharmacies” a.k.a. Drug Stores. If the need for marijuana is medically supported, a prescription should be justified and written. Then, the substance should be provided in a control manner, just like any other ‘drug.’ Do we have this “discussion” every time a drug company releases a new compound? No! From my view, medical marijuana would simply be another approved drug and should be handled accordingly. The whole thing doesn’t seem to complex to me.

An Open Letter to Verizon

Gentlemen,

Thank you for keeping me up-to-date to your constantly changing services, offers and pricing. Please note, however, that until you can offer me something to adequately replace my current communications technologies at prices that are equal to, or less than I am currently paying, I am simply not interested. My current communications monthly costs, and services noted below, adequately fill my needs:

Land-line phone and higher speed DSL - $57.87

Comcast TV - $10.60

Off-air digital TV - $0.00

Total - $68.47

(To this I add about $24 for two cell phones but I know that cell phones are not part of any package that include the above.) So for <$100 a month, we are well connected.

We have been on the "receiving end" of your lack of analog service and support, an attempt to move us to your digital service no doubt, several times. These have not motivated use to jump ship. Rather, they have led to numerous letters of complaints to the PSC and your executives. Currently, our analog service is secure and the fight has been worth the effort.

Should you wish to supply our communications need and secure our business using your digital services, we stand ready to switch at a pricing structure that meets or effectively competes with the above. Until then, please save your postage and paper, and stop mailing us your various offers. In the mean time, simply meet your responsibilities and obligations, per the Public Utilities Commission, while maintaining both your new digital systems and keeping your legacy, analog systems running well into the future.

“Never Again?” Not yet!

Leonard Pitts Jr.’s commentary in the Aug 24, 2009 The Baltimore Sun, rightly decried the political association of today various political activities with those of Hitler’s and the Nazi’s. He noted that “to remake the Nazis as some kind of all-purpose boogeymen for slandering political enemies and scoring cheap rhetorical points” effectively minimizes the atrocities they committed. The 6 million Jews who died and whose deaths were so meticulously documented totally overshadow anything which is or has ever been seen in American politics as to make such comparisons laughable, if it were not for the ignorance and hatred they represent. Further, and I do not believe Mr. Pitts would disagree, the hell that the Nazis wrougth upon the earth can only be compared to similar, though less thoroughly documented, smaller atrocities. To and since that realm we must add many others such as China, North Korean, Congolese Civil War, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, and Mozambique, etc. ad nauseam, all committed at the behest of various political and/or religious fanatical leaders. There is no end when differences are demonized and “Gott Mit Uns,” regardless of who the “Uns” is.

Pharmaceutical Companies Deserve Our Thanks - Again

When asked “Do you do drugs?”, I proudly say “yes!” I believe my life is made better through the marvels of modern chemistry. And, I believe that I am not alone. Even creationists who dismiss scientific investigation, fail to walk away from the same “theories” when they need a pill or two to save their lives.

Now, we have yet another thing for which to thank these considerate firms – time to share.

As part of our daily activities, my wife and I watch the evening news while enjoying our dinner. It provides a period for us to focus upon the day’s activities and world’s development. Without the drug educational messages, placed conveniently between the news segments, we and other like-minded families would not be able to share our thoughts and give the news the consideration it deserves.

Surely, no advertising executive would seriously recommend the telecasts of human orifice oriented orations, bodily function fundamentals, and disturbing dangerous side effects throughout the dinner hour, if they did not fully intend upon everyone simply pushing the “mute buttons” and availing themselves of the time to discuss the previously presented news materials while ignoring the sad sordid subjects.

Drug companies, thank you one and all.

Cash for Clunkers

Editor,

While the Cash for Clunkers program may or may not have its desired impact, it will not, I am sorry to say, help Mr. Fitzpatrick who was interviewed for today’s article (Car sales jump start? June 24, 2009.) Like me, he will miss the cut-off point of 18 mpg. In consulting http://www.fueleconomy.gov, I found his car, a 1996 Buick Century, to be rated at a combined mpg of 21 (or 24 for the four cylinder engine) based upon the New EPA MPG Estimates. While lower, my 1995 Century is still rated at 20 mpg. I guess both of us will have to cut some of the anticipated gingerbread on our new cars.

I am sure many shoppers will be similarly disappointed when they check their car’s combined mpg. Just because it’s old, does not make it a sure bet that the car is a clunker. I would suspect that if the car does not have a V8 engine, it will very likely not qualify. Even my four-wheel drive 1995 Jeep Cherokee with a 4.0 L six cylinder only make the cut by one mpg!

Smart Grid Substitute

Dear Editor,

BGE’s full page advertisement in today’s Sun, 6/14/09, shed some light on its upcoming Smart Grid and metering plan. When implemented, its control of house-hold appliances, etc. will reduce by 37% peak electrical demand, thus preventing brownouts and possible outages in the future. This is amazing and represents considerable savings. BGE estimates that average consumers will also save about $120 yearly. They note that development and installation of the Smart Grid will take several years.

In the interim, I would suggest that the utility implement and promote an aggressive Time of Use billing structure for consumers, coupled with the elimination of their current meter charges. Such steps would quickly lead to many of the identified benefits, thus saving money for everyone involved now, rather than several years from now. This plan would effectively set the stage for the Smart Grid by establishing the desired mindset and providing consumer savings in the interim. Unlike the eventual Smart Grid, these savings are not dependent upon the necessary, customer purchased, smart appliances. As these purchases are expensive, they are likely to be delayed until customers need to replace existing appliances due to malfunction or extreme age. Savings now will lead to greater acceptance of the whole idea of the Smart Grid and will help pay for the eventual purchase of smart appliances when the grid is ready.

Down Without the Ship

While I know that the old guard at Chrysler is no longer in charge, one can only wonder who is aiming the ship. Given the directions and controls placed upon the company by the government as a result of the various loans, their hands are certainly in the mix. To wit, the following letter:

___________________________

Dear Chrysler Bankruptcy Leaders(?),

While it is admirable for the captain to stay with the ship, when that ship has renewed life and the holes are plugged, it is a poor captain who will not allow his crew back on board. Even worse is the captain who retrieves his lifeboats leaving the crew to drown.

Having flung several hundred devoted Chrysler dealerships to the wind and the waves, one can only wonder about the caliber of corporate and governmental leaders who will force many of those same dealerships into corporate and no doubt personal, bankruptcy. While the lives of countless employees are being devastated by these dealership cancellations, the apparent unwillingness accept the dealers' return of their car inventory, is an unnecessary burden and blow to the same group that made Chrysler the corporation it once was. If these vehicles are not good enough for Chrysler, why would they be good enough for anyone else?

Certainly this is a case of "I've got mine (from the government) now you get yours (if you can.)" So much for loyalty. The corporation and auto workers survive while many of those who have supported the corporation through their personal investments in time, hard work and money, loose. (The same can be said about the way the corporate investors were treated.)

I should mention that of the four vehicles in my driveway, three are Chrysler products. There won't be another one any time soon.

EDC